"A little pressure is good for a boy. Keeps him on his toes" (Part 1, Chapter 1, p. 6).

"I ended up practicing every single day, just like my dad wanted, but I wasn't doing it because I thought I had a chance to start. I was doing it because I didn't know how else to play." (Part 2, Chapter 7, p. 61).

"As game time neared, a sense of power filled me. It started in the back of my head and spread like a wildfire until I felt as if I was going to explode." (Part 2, Chapter 9, p. 69).

"Why had I failed? Why had I come up a foot short? You don't have the talent, a voice whispered -my voice" (Part 2, Chapter 11, p. 82).

"For the next weeks I worked and worked, but nothing changed" (Part 3, Chapter 11, p. 134).

"If you're after serious gains, there's other stuff that produces better results much faster, stuff that...